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| ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
− | In this comic [[Randall]] is playing with the notion that since Einstein contributed so much to society, and many of his works have withstood testing, disproving Einstein must be a difficult task. This is proven false by taking a mundane declaration by Einstein and proving it false with a simple task.
| + | {{w|Albert Einstein}} is often considered one of the smartest and most influential men in world history. His theories revolutionized our understanding of the Universe and inspired generations of scientists. Here, though, [[Randall]] plays with the notion that everything Einstein said constitutes words to live by: A casual observation on the quality of sandwiches is treated as a major hypothesis, and any contradictory evidence "disproves" it. |
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− | Nobel laureate and ''Time'' Person of the Century {{w|Albert Einstein}} is often considered one of the smartest and most influential people in world history. His theories have revolutionized our understanding of the universe and inspired generations of scientists. In this comic, [[Cueball]] indicates to a friend that he is working on an experiment that may disprove Einstein. The implication is that Cueball is conducting a serious scientific experiment which may disprove one of Einstein's scientific theories. The second frame, however, implies that the Einsteinian "theory" Cueball's experiment may disprove is an offhand (and subjective) remark by Einstein about the availability of good sandwiches; this is not to mention the possible changing in quality of said sandwiches over time.
| + | This is not the first time that xkcd has addressed people taking scientists too seriously. In [[947|Investment]] Randall comments on how people put too much credence in a joke Einstein made in passing, and in [[799|comic 799]] we see Stephen Hawking in a similar predicament, every word he says taken as a major declaration. |
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− | The experiment Cueball is "currently conducting" probably refers to the fact that he is currently eating a sandwich, and if that sandwich was indeed a good one, Einstein would be proved wrong. Part of the humor here is that Cueball's friend probably assumes that when Cueball says "currently," he means the experiment is part of Cueball's work, not what he is doing at that exact moment.
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− | In [[947: Investing]], Randall comments on how people put too much credence in a joke Einstein made in passing, and in [[799: Stephen Hawking]] we see {{w|Stephen Hawking}} in a similar predicament, every word he says taken as a major declaration. | |
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− | The title text demonstrates the ability to "disprove" Einstein while not challenging his scientific work but rather one of his decisions in his capacity as a patent clerk at the Swiss Patent Office at the time he published his first major papers (previously alluded to in [[1067: Pressures]]). According to [https://www.ige.ch/en/about-us/the-history-of-the-ipi/einstein/faq the Einstein FAQ] on the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property's website, patent #39561 is one of several patents that "we can assume ... were personally examined by Einstein". A PDF of the patent, which was indeed a gravel sorter ({{w|trommel}}), can be found [http://web.archive.org/web/20150326212744/https://www.ige.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Institut/d/i109401.pdf here] in German.
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| ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
− | :[Cueball and friend eating at a table.] | + | :[Cueball and a friend eating at a table.] |
| :Cueball: I'm currently conducting an experiment which may prove Einstein wrong! | | :Cueball: I'm currently conducting an experiment which may prove Einstein wrong! |
| :Friend: Ooh, exciting! | | :Friend: Ooh, exciting! |
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− | :1947: | + | :1947 |
| :[Einstein and Cueball walking.] | | :[Einstein and Cueball walking.] |
| :Einstein: It's ''impossible'' to find a good sandwich in this town. | | :Einstein: It's ''impossible'' to find a good sandwich in this town. |
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| [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] |
| [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] |
− | [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
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